Hispanic Voters Favor Strong Border: Poll

October 5, 2018
BY PETR SVAB

Majority of Hispanic voters want secure borders and stronger immigration law enforcement, according to a June 24-25 poll.

Almost two thirds (62 percent) of the voters preferred secure borders to “basically open borders,” the Harvard-Harrison poll found, while 52 percent believed current border security is inadequate. Over half (51 percent) also agreed immigration law enforcement needs to be stricter, rather than looser.

Majority of the voters (57 percent) believed people who illegally cross the border should not be prosecuted for breaking the law. But majority (52 percent) also believed that those crossing illegally should be sent home. Even when parents with children cross into the U.S. illegally, 53 percent of Hispanic voters believed they should be sent home.

One of the poll questions also spelled out the current Republican proposal for an immigration reform, calling it “a Congressional deal that gives undocumented immigrants brought here by their parents work permits and a path to citizenship in exchange for increasing merit preference over preference for relatives, eliminating the diversity visa lottery, and funding barrier security on the U.S.-Mexico border.”

Almost two thirds (64 percent) of the Hispanic respondents favored the plan.

Some prominent Democrats, like Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand (D-N.Y.) and New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio, have recently called for nixing the federal Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agency.

Trump welcomed Democrats to run with the idea, predicting it will cost them elections.

“That’s going to be their platform. Open borders, which equals crime. I think they’ll never win another election so I’m actually quite happy about it,” he said.

ICE is responsible for capturing, detaining, and deporting illegal aliens in the interior of the country. It’s also responsible for investigating national security issues such as human trafficking, drug and arms trafficking, and transnational gangs.

Americans strongly supported maintaining ICE, with 69 percent against disbanding, the poll showed. Hispanic voters, however, were split 50-50 on the issue.